For those of you not familiar with Maid Marian and her Merry Men, It turned the Robin Hood story on its head in a 1980s children’s comedy show by Sir Tony “Baldrick” Robinson. Maid Marian turned out to be the brains of the outfit and Robin Hood was an effete, vain twit. It also had …
It’s pancake day. It’s pancake day. It’s p-p-p-p-p-p-pancake day. Read More »
Last year, as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival, submissions for short stories were sought on the theme ‘Brighton: past, present and future.” Selected stories would be read to an audience by actors. Here’s my submission, and it was most gratifying to hear it read. Pier Review The West Pier spangled brand new in the …
Are modern book blurbs too dull? I think so, judging by these two gems. Thanks to Phaude for the one from Edmund Crispin and his fascinating list of recreations.
A Witch in Winter is Ruth Warburton’s debut novel and the first of a trilogy centred around the reluctant teenage witch Anna Winterson as she struggles to discover her heritage and the nature of her mysterious, magical powers. Anna and her father have moved from London to the southern seaside town of Winter. A quaint …
Book review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton Read More »
Never has a political assassination in print been so delicious, detailed, elegant and comprehensive. Having read Just Boris: The irresistable rise of a political celebrity it is almost impossible to like the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. John Bright’s assessment of Disraeli (one of Boris’s own heroes) rather sums up Purnell’s thrust: “He is a …
Book Review: Just Boris: The Irresistible Rise of a Political Celebrity by Sonia Purnell Read More »
Who is Charlie Conti? is the accomplished debut novel from Claus von Bohlen. Charlie Conti is alone in the world and in possession of a great fortune. His mother is dead, his sister is in a home for the disabled and he doesn’t know who his father is. Moreover, he doesn’t have much of a sense of …
Book review: Who is Charlie Conti? by Claus von Bohlen Read More »
I’m happy to say that my book, Make Serious Money on eBay UK is available as a Kindle and ereader edition. I’m quite excited by this although I don’t know yet whether many have been sold. One thing I find immensely frustrating about being an author is the almost complete lack of numbers that are …
Make Serious Money on eBay UK is available on Kindle Read More »
(I’m sticking to my 2010 resolution to read a book a week. Here’s what I read in January 2011. And excuse the tardiness, I’m clearing out scribbles that I haven’t blogged yet.) Instinct, Ben Kay. Insects. Bloody big insects and bloody thousands of them. I grabbed this in December because I’d met the author at …
Back in at the start of 2010, I resolved to read a book each week for pleasure over the course of the year. My total at the end of the year was 48, which isn’t too bad. The general election campaign gave little time for reading and I blame that for my falling short. That …
If you’re looking for a Brighton Festival fringe tip, I suggest you get along to Kemble’s Riot. It’s running for three nights this weekend at the Old Courtroom. Let me declare my interest: it’s a new play by my friend Adrian Bunting and I’ve offered a few modest pearls of wisdom on the script. But …
I’d never seen this plaque on Buckingham Road before yesterday. It’s commemorates the all too brief life of the artist and illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley who was born at number 12. It’s such a shame that it has a spray can squiggle on it. Not least because such artlessness seems totally at odds with Beardley’s own …
We’re very lucky in Brighton because some sort of happening is usually happening somewhere. And last Saturday we saw the second annual White Night shindig. Basically, it’s an all night arty thing to coincide with the clocks going back. Centred on Jubilee Square, there was music, drama and all kinds of amusement. And a few …
The Great Escape is an annual music festival held in Brighton. It’s not really like a festival (in the sense of Glastonbury) because it’s not communal: we all go elsewhere to shit, shower and shag*. The City doesn’t really notice The Great Escape is happening. I think of it as an un-festival. All us Great …
The Great Escape Festival 2009, Brighton. Day 1. Read More »
This is a bit of an aide memoire for me and a solicitation for suggestions. Are there any books I should be reading? Fiction preferred this week, I think. Here are some suggestions I’ve received recently: I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’ve never read anything by the brilliant Terry Pratchett. I confessed to …